I can fall asleep, yes. Just this morning, during a meditation, an image of a room full of people arose. That was a memory from last night, when I was in such a room. Then the room began to rotate and move. That was the "dream center energy" taking the memory and beginning a "story." I was aware enough that I could "fall" into the dream, or retain enough consciousness to let the whole dream-influenced image dissolve (which is what I did) or have a beer. So my "meditation" was very traditional in a way - "replacing the thought-image" with a mantra (or other choice.)

Consciousness is volatile and mobile. Thoughts arise spontaneously, unbidden, even during meditation. It is our capacity to "become the display screen," or perhaps better said "to relax into the display screen that we are," that is the full depth of rest in stillness. What is less often mentioned is that this state of sat-chit-ananda is very pregnant with potential and completely full of anticipation and joy.

Stephen Covey, years ago in the wildly popular series "The seven habits," reminded us to "sharpen the saw," by which he meant to take care of ourselves. The absolute best way to do that is to achieve a practice or condition that allows full surrender, which is a "falling back behind" (Tara Brach) experience during meditation. I know that any "direction" (back behind) sounds artificial and relative. But when I read that, I thought - "hey, that is exactly how it feels."

Andy

A person is not a thing or a process, but an opening through which the universe manifests. - Martin Heidegger
There is not past, no future; everything flows in an eternal present. - James Joyce

Thanks for the description. Very interesting. Yes, to be clear, I referred to that empty and joyful anticipation as a relaxed "awareness of awareness". That's the reason I sat down on the bench to begin with, and why I kept going back to it: to sort of reconnect with what was a gradually fading state of sustained unity consciousness. This other sort of meditation of catching the thief is a much shallower state of body/mind, one where the personal center is still very active. It's sort of a sacrifice to spend a meditation on it.

After some time, and especially when I was following Low's "arouse the mind without resting it on anything", meditation became less about alignment with unity, and more about curiosity. Thanks again, btw, for recommending that book. At this point, sitting in emptiness for other than catching the thief is something that just sort of ... happens now and then.

Stop talking. Hear every sound as background. Look straight ahead and focus. Take one deep breath. This is you. This is Now.

Snowy - We are touching on another problem here, that is the use of the English language to define these subtle "state/no states." But to fully comprehend the Sanskrit, there is a big cultural milieu that is required. My sense of "stillness," however, probably does have some measurable similarity to others'. At least that is what the fMRI and brainwave studies show. As to the actual experience, and similes and allegories we use...certainly there is poetic license.

"I am what I am." - Popeye

"I am what I am not." - Nisargadatta

Andy

A person is not a thing or a process, but an opening through which the universe manifests. - Martin Heidegger
There is not past, no future; everything flows in an eternal present. - James Joyce

The weakness of the English language in this case can be characterized as an unexpected lottery ticket.

There are many facets to that cultural miliue you refer to, especially if we include the last 80 years of nonduality in America and Europe. But the invitation into literal silence and stillness is the most important. It's what Tolle was doing when he tells his reader to notice that they can realize "there is the thought, and here'I am'". It's what Nisargardatta meant by "refuse all thoughts but 'I am'". It's what Ramana Maharshi was inviting by "who is it that has the question?" It's what Adya is pointing to with his true meditation, of allowing everything to be, exactly as it is.

So, that the discussion in English comes to a point of ineffability has the potential to be a powerful catalyst.

Obviously, my interest in "catching the thief in the act" is related to other facets of that culture. More along the lines of folks interest, say, in the "Law of Attraction". This is an interest in the dream .. how it moves, and how it moves relative to the personal perspective. But, in the context of the absence of any illusion as to the nature of the person.

Jason L. has been refining his interests along these lines over the years. Some of his latest writing on the topic -- which is very very different from mine -- has gotten really really clear. Some of it is so deeply thought out as to take some mental horsepower to follow. But hey, the existential truth is simplicity incarnate, while the world of the 10 trillon thingy's, not so much.

Stop talking. Hear every sound as background. Look straight ahead and focus. Take one deep breath. This is you. This is Now.